Apr 18, 2008 10:42 am US/Central
No City Public Schools Closed Recently For Threats
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
Chicago Public Schools have received bomb threats over the last two years — yet none was closed.
But when threatening graffiti were recently found in bathrooms at three Chicago area universities, those campuses were temporarily shut down.
There's no uniform response to threats, although school officials take them much more seriously because of the Columbine, Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University massacres, experts say.
"Each incident is evaluated on a case-by-case basis," said Michael Shields, a Chicago Police deputy superintendent.
In Chicago, police assess the credibility of threats, but the decision to close is left up to the organization that received the threat, police
spokeswoman Monique Bond said. The Chicago Public Schools, Cubs and White Sox refused to discuss how they handle threats.
Schools tend to err on the side of caution more than any other institution, said Fred Burton, vice president of counterterrorism for Strategic Forecasting Inc.
"I think we would all rather the school make the prudent, cautious call —even for those of us who have to leave work and pick up little Johnny," said Burton, a former counterterrorism agent for the State Department.
Recently, Chicago Public Schools have responded to threats by boosting security without shutting down schools. In December, for example, extra police officers were assigned to Lane Technical High School, Near North Career High and Schurz High after a written threat was found in a girls' bathroom at Lane Tech, police said. A letter sent to parents said the threat was being taken seriously, but there was no reason to disrupt classes or activities.
No Chicago Public Schools have closed because of a threat of violence in the last two years, a spokesman said.
Perpetrators are often caught, Burton said. In recent years, Chicago has taken them to court to hammer them financially for their threats, said Jennifer Hoyle of the Law Department.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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